Spiced vanilla crème brûlée tart

Graham Hornigold’s spiced crème brûlée tart is an inviting prospect for any dinner party. It takes some skill to pull off, but the wobbly custard filling, perfect pastry and crisp brûlée topping are well worth the effort.

Scatter a light dusting of flour on your work surface, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3–4mm, rotating regularly to ensure the pastry does not shrink in an uneven fashion

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Trim the pastry into a disc slightly larger than the tart tin, taking care not to over-trim which requires tricky patching up. This will make it easier to line the case and minimise the risk of tearing

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Spray the inside of a 20cm pastry ring with baking spray, then very lightly dust with an even layer of flour

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Lightly spray a baking sheet and lightly dust with flour. Place the pastry ring on top

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Roll the pastry round the rolling pin and drape over the pastry ring. Gently mould the pastry into the ring

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Roll some of the pastry trimmings into a ball and use to gently press around the edges of the tart base for a nice even finish. Make sure the pastry is flush against the case all the way around

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Run a knife round the edge of the ring to cut away any excess pastry. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill

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Preheat the oven to 210°C/gas mark 7

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When the pastry has chilled, prepare a blind baking mixture. You can use baking beads, rice, or even flour for this. Line the tart base with heatproof cling film with plenty overhanging the edges of the tart. Fill the tart with baking beads, rice or flour, and gently bring the overhanging cling film over the top to encase the filling

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Blind bake the tart case until the edges start to turn a light brown colour. Turn the oven down to 195°C/gas mark 5 and cook for a further 15 minutes, until the case is a nice rich golden colour

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Remove from the oven, remove the blind baking mixture and lightly brush all over with beaten egg yolk. Return to the oven for 2 more minutes to seal – this stops the filling soaking into the pastry during cooking

Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a separate bowl until pale and thick – it’s important that you whisk as soon as the eggs hit the sugar, or the acidity of the sugar will start to ‘cook’ the eggs and they will become slightly lumpy. Whisk in the ground cloves

Pour a small splash of the warmed cream over the yolks and mix well to temper the eggs

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Pour the rest of the cream into the eggs and stir with a heatproof spatula to combine. Return the mixture back to the saucepan and place over a low heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to 75°C

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If you don’t have a thermometer, drag your finger across the spatula – when it’s thick enough to leave a line in the custard, it is ready. Pour into a bowl, whisking until cooled slightly, then transfer to a measuring jug

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Place the blind-baked pastry case on a lined baking tray. Carefully pour the custard into the case almost to the top, then move the tray to the oven shelf. Carefully pour in the rest of the custard so it almost reaches the brim

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To remove any air bubbles, use a blowtorch to quickly go back and forth over the mixture and remove any air bubbles on the surface. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the tart starts to set and has a slight wobble in the middle

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Gently remove, allow to cool slightly, then place in the fridge to set

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To create the brûlée topping, remove the baking paper from the tray and evenly dust the surface of the tart with icing sugar

icing sugar

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Gently run a blowtorch over the tart, ensuring you don’t hold it over any one place for too long. Rotate the tray as you work

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Once you have a nice even caramel, dust over another layer of icing sugar and blowtorch again

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Repeat the process one more time, then transfer to a serving board. Allow to cool completely, then slice and serve

This is part of a Great British Chefs Academy masterclass – click below to find out more.

This is part of a Great British Chefs Academy masterclass – click below to find out more.

This is part of a Great British Chefs Academy masterclass – click below to find out more.

This is part of a Great British Chefs Academy masterclass – click below to find out more.

Graham Hornigold’s expert pastry skills have been refined in some of the best restaurants and hotels in London. Currently working as a pastry consultant, he effortlessly brings a delicate, refreshing touch to restaurant dessert menus.